Labor Market Strength Increases Odds Of Rate Hike

November 7, 2014 The labor market remains resiliently strong, as evidenced by the gain of 214,000 new jobs created in October, close to the average monthly change of 220,000 in the past year.  The combination of strong job growth and only moderate GDP growth suggests that the trend of weak improvement in labor productivity is… Read more »

Retail Industry Adds 22,100 Jobs In October

November 7, 2014 According to the National Retail Federation, retail industry employment increased by 22,100 jobs in October.  Employment gains were broad and consistent in most retail categories, especially in general merchandise stores, which saw an increase of 11,900 jobs.  NRF figures do not include automobile dealerships, gasoline stations or restaurants. “Today’s solid employment report is… Read more »

Housing Markets Inch Toward Full Recovery

November 6, 2014 Markets in 59 of the approximately 350 metro areas nationwide returned to or exceeded their last normal levels of economic and housing activity in the third quarter of 2014, according to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Leading Markets Index (LMI), released today. This represents a year-over-year net gain of seven… Read more »

Walgreens Posts 6.9% Sales Increase In October

November 5, 2014 Walgreens reported October sales of $6.8 billion, an increase of 6.9% from the comparable year-ago period. Prescriptions filled at comparable stores increased by 3.6% in October and increased 4.1% on a calendar day-shift adjusted basis, meeting analyst expectations.  “Script growth for the chain drug stores likely grew in the low-to-mid-single-digit range again… Read more »

Online Labor Demand Edged Up 11,700 In October

November 5, 2014 Online labor demand continues on a slow growth trend in 2014 Most states and MSAs showed small gains in October Online advertised vacancies rose 11,700 to 5,083,600 in October, according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine (HWOL) Data Series, released today.  The September Supply/Demand rate stands at 1.83 unemployed for each… Read more »

Generic Utilization Lifts CVS Health In Q3

November 4, 2014 Tailwinds from specialty pharmacy and increased generic utilization lifted CVS Health up on Tuesday, as the company posted net revenues of $35 billion, representing an increase of 9.7% for the three months ended September 30. “I’m very pleased with our strong results in the third quarter, which reflect better than expected revenue… Read more »

Merger Magic Evident At Office Depot

November 4, 2014 Sales continued to decline at Office Depot in the third quarter, but CEO Roland Smith said excellent execution allowed operating profits to more than double. Total company sales on a pro-forma basis to reflect the merger of Office Depot and Office Max declined 3% to $4.1 billion during the period ended September… Read more »

Consumers In Better Holiday Spirits

November 4, 2014 U.S. households plan to spend an average of $538 on gifts this holiday season, up slightly from $528 last year, The Conference Board reports today.  About 8 percent of consumers say they plan to spend more this year on holiday gifts, while approximately 32 percent plan to spend less.  The remaining 60… Read more »

Single Family Production Poised To Take Off In 2015

October 31, 2014 A growing economy, rising household formations, low mortgage rates and pent-up demand will help single-family housing production to rev up in 2015, while a growth in renters will keep the multifamily market at cruising altitude or higher, according to economists who participated in yesterday’s National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 2014 Fall… Read more »

Voting Extended In Family Dollar Deal

October 31, 2014 Dollar General has extended the deadline for Family Dollar shareholders to approve a buyout while it continues to recommend a “no” vote on a competing proposal from Dollar Tree. Dollar General said it extended its tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of Family Dollar for $80.00 to December 31 from October… Read more »